ZJ Farm – Solon, IA by Patty

One of the people we met at the dinner at the Sass Family Farm was Susan Jutz who farms in Solon and raises vegetables, sheep, and hogs (as well as some really cute farm cats and dogs). She was nice enough to let us come visit the next morning to find out more about her operation and her perspective from the front lines of local food.

Susan and her family started one of the first CSA programs in Iowa eleven years ago and Susan spends an enormous amount of time speaking to groups all over the state about sustainable food. She also welcomes hundreds of people to her farm every year either to visit or to volunteer. In fact, when we were there, several volunteers were there working on the farm. On her farm, they raise enough vegetables to feed 200 CSA members and donate extra produce to programs that feed hungry people in the area.

We had a really informative tour and Susan gave us a sense of the rewards and challenges faced by sustainable farmers of her size. We talked about raising sheep on grass (and the inevitable challenge of finding places to get animals processed so the meat can go to market), the perennial challenge of finding labor to work on the farm, and the long hours put in by farmers that would make the rest of us tired just to hear about. But she also talked about her passion for raising good food, in a way that is easy on the earth. And every time she talked about the future it was with excitement – about the next improvement they would make so their operation was more efficient and more environmentally sensitive, or the next batch of volunteers that would help out. So it was a great visit for us to see the reality of what it takes to have local food.

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